Improved clothes-wringer



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

L. II. THOMAS, OF VATERBURY, VERMONT.

IMPROVED CLOTH ES-WRINGER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 34,795, dated March 25, 1862.

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, L. H. THOMAS, of Waterbury, Vashington county, State of Vermont, have invented new and useful Improvements in Olothes-lVringers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists in a semicircular spring with its corresponding shaped block, which is self-adj Listing for the purpose of gaining theproper pressure upon the rollers to adjust themselves to the various sized clothes to be pressed.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation, to wit:

A represents an upright frame with legs B, to be set across the sides of a wash-tub.

C D are cross-b races to strengthen the frame.

E E are slots mortised in each side of frame, in which a sliding block G operates up and down.

H H are elastic rollers or cylinders between which the clothes are placed to be pressed or wrung out. The lower roller II is operated by the crank I, and the upper roller operates on its shaft J in the blocks G. Above the rollers I have a cross-beam or block K fastened at both ends by screws L to the tops of the sliding blocks G. rllhis block K has two round tops M, upon which the ends of springN above rest and spread, so that the ends of spring move and spread up and down on the'circular sides of the round tops M as the block K adj usts itself, according to the size of the cloth being pressed.

The advantage I gain by the shape of the block K is that the springN above (which is of semicircular form and attached to top brace D) spreads itself and yields to the circular sides of the block K at a less angle and gradually less pressure than at the plane it rests on, where the plane would be straight, as represented at igure P, when the spring has passed over the point of rest on an incline plane, thus making the machine work easier and corresponding with the size of the clothes being pressed. Springs resting upon a horizontal or incline plane have their resistance increased in proportion to the amount of strain brought upon them, whereas by my invention the spring loses a portion of its resistance, and that always uniform with the size of the article being pressed, thereby dispensing with the other various devices commonly used to regulate the pressure.

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The shape and construction of the self-adjusting block K and spring N, combined as herein described, as and for the purpose specified.

' L. H. THOMAS.

Vitnesses:

I. FRANKLIN REIGART, GEO. J. CoLBY. 

